Defending AUBL champions National Chengchi University hold on to make final four
Taiwan students see off determined challenge of Yonsei University to make semi-finals of Asian University Basketball League
Defending champions National Chengchi University battled into the final four of the Asian University Basketball League in Hangzhou on Thursday, but they were pushed all the way by their Yonsei University rivals.
The Taiwan students eked out a 72-67 victory over their South Korean rivals, in a game that was in the balance until the final minute.
Chengchi’s five-point lead at half-time vanished into a four-point deficit, as their opponents started the third quarter with a 17-8 run.
The title holders used a 9-0 run of their own to retake the lead, and led by as many as 10 in the final quarter. Yonsei twice got to within a point, but it was not enough in the end after top scorer Lee Chae-hyung fouled out in the final minutes.
“We were effective in suppressing their key players on both the offensive and defensive ends, which is why we were able to pull it through,” Fan Keng-hsiang, the Chengchi head coach, said.
“We capitalised on our height advantage on offence, and we dominated their key players on the other hand, gaining possession and converting those into points.
“Credit to our bench players too. Every one of them in NCCU possessed some very good ability; we just encouraged them to seize every opportunity when they were on the court, and they surely made the most from those minutes.”